Some things make my problems seem small.

[cjsmith]

Just found out that my cousin's son has leukemia -- AML, the aggressive form.

PS: If ever you feel like signing up for the marrow-donor registry, information is available at http://www.marrow.org. This is not a guilt trip: the chances of matching any *specific* patient, this boy included, are incredibly small, and it's not yet certain he's a marrow transplant candidate anyway. But in case you're motivated, there's the link. Joining requires giving a small blood sample a cheek swab sample and paying a tax-deductible fee of around $50. Various medical things may disqualify a donor (active Lyme, for example, sigh).

Comments

[ckd]

At one point my mom was as a social worker in a pediatric oncology ward, so I got to help out once or twice with picnics and the like for the kids. It's tough, but treatment's gotten better even in the past decade or two.

Best wishes to your cousin's son, and your cousin as well. They'll be in my thoughts.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

That's good to hear. Another cousin, sister of this kid's Mama, is a nurse who worked a couple of years in a leukemia ward, so the fact that she knows the lingo is very comforting to the boy's parents right now. And thanks.

[ckd]

I hadn't seen this Pharyngula post when I made that comment. (Hat tip to thnidu for linking to it.)

Admittedly, the graphs are of ALL survival rates instead of AML, but holy SHIT those are looking better than they were in the 1980s. Seriously, I knew treatments had improved, but I had no idea how much.

Have hope. Not false hope, not "OMG it's all cured" (much as we might wish it), but there is hope.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's good to see. Things have indeed come a long way.